Scraper-control mechanism



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CPR-Gumbel ATTORNEY June 5, 1928.

C. P. RENAUD I SCRAPER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 29, 1927 June 5, 1928.

1,672,541 C.P.RENAUD SCRAPER CONTROL MECHANISM" Filed March 29, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 O O m 0 O o 0 Q O k Q g N &

q} INVENTOR Q aRRenaud June 5, 1928.

c. P. RENAUD SCRAPER CONTROL MEGHANI SM 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 29, 1927 INVENTOR CPJQGHaLLd ATTORNEY June 5, 1928. 1,672,541

' C. P. RENAUD SCRAPER CONTROL MECHANI SM Filed March 29, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 u 1 a HI] Max: 41 f 23 4 21 I Q 343537 35 Z4 INVENTOR I'll P g C.P.Renau,d,

' Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED ,STATES I 1,672,541 PATENT OFFICE.

COLLIS P. BENAUD, OF TULARE, CALIFORNIA;

SCRAPER-CONTROL MECHANISM.

Application filed March 29, 1927. Serial No. 179,306.

This invention relates to improvements in scrapers of the rotatable bowl type and particularly to the control mechanism for the bowl. I

The principalobject of my invention is to provide a control mechanism for 'the purpos so arranged that the bowl may be forcibly lowered to a scraping position, raised from such position for transporting the load, or released to enable the bowl to dump, while supporting the bowl on the wheels with any position of the bowl. This is a very valuable'feature, since, as is well known, a load can be carried on wheels much easier than it can be dragged along the ground, and hence the speed of operations is increased, while at the same time the power necessary to operate the scraper is materially reduced over what isnecessary with scrapers of the usual drag bowl type.

I may however if desired omit the wheels and permit the bowl to thus drag without affecting the operation of the control mechanism. v i

A. further object of the invention is to provide control means actuated at will by the power derived from the rotation of the wheels, to cause the bowl to be raised or lowered with the aid of a suitable and easily manipulated-clutch operating lever.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear bya perusal of the following specification and claims. In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. l is a side elevation of my improved scraper with a manually operated control v means, showing the bowl in a scraping position.

Fig. 2 is a side section of the scraper with the bowl raised. i I

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the scraper showing the bowl released andmoving into' a dumping position.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the scraper. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross section of the bowl and its supporting means.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a scraper equipped with a power actuated control means.

Fig. 7 is a' fragmentary side elevation of such scraper.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, and particularly at present to Figs. 1 to 5, the numeral 1 denotes the side frames of the scraper which are spaced apart a suitable distance toward their rear ends and then converge to their forward ends, at which end is a clevis 2 by which the frame is supported by a tractor or the like. Disposed between the frames at the rear is a bowl comprising a dirt supporting element 3, and side plates 4. Trunnions 5 are fixed on and project outwardly from the side plates and are journaled in bearings 6 mounted on the frame. These trunnions outwardly of the frame also serve as shafts for wheels 7 which turn on the trunnions. The side plates are concentric with the trunnions except at their lower ends, where they are cut straight to conform to the line of the bottom of the element 3. The radius of curvature of the side plates is somewhat greater than that of the wheels but the straight bottom portion is a lesser distance from the trunnions than the radius of the wheels so that said portion is normally clear of the ground. By means of this arrangement when the bowl is held so that the bottom portion is level all the weight will be supported by the wheels and transportation of a load is very easy. When the bowl is tilted on its trunnions so that its forward scraping edge engages the ground, and is then released, the frictional contact of the bowl with the ground causes the same to upset. In sodoing the side plates engage the ground with suflicient friction to cause the upsetting movement to take place, while at the same time the' actual weight of the structure itself is still taken by the wheels.

The bowl is controlled by the following structure:

Fixed on and spaced outwardly from the side=plates are bands 8 curved with the periphery of the plates, a plurality of holes 9 parallel to the trunnions and concentric therewith being placed through the bands and plates.- Through certain ones of these holes bolts 10 are placed, with spacers 11 thereon between the plates and bands, and rollers 12 turn-able on the spacers. Turnably mounted on the frame ahead of the bowl is a transverse shaft 13 on which are fixed rearwardly projecting arms 14. On

the rear ends of these arms are pivoted up,-- standing catch members 15, arranged to project between the bands and side plates and each having a horizontal slot or notch 16 cut inwardl from its rear end to receive the correspon ing roller 12 therein, said rJller forming a stop. It will therefore be seen that if the catch members are held immovable the bowl will likewise be held, but

if the members 15 areraised or lowered by the turning of the arms 14 and the shaft 13 the bowl will be likewise raised or lowered.

The shaft 13 is thus controlled and rotated by means of a centrally located arm 17 projecting upwardly therefrom, substantially at right angles to the arm 14. The upper end of the arm 17 is connected by a link 18 to a hand lever .19 which is pivoted on the frame a certain distance ahead of the shaft 13. This lever is provided with a pawl and quadrant mechanism 20 of ordinary character so that the lever inay be held in any position.

The catch members 15 are normally maintained in a substantially vertical position with the swinging movement of the arms 14 through a predetermined arc, and in firm but yieldable and releasable engagement with the stop rollers 12- by the following means:

Journaled on the frame 1 between the lever 19 and the shaft 13 is another transverse shaft 21 having arms 22 projecting upwardly therefrom in transverse alinement with the catch members 15. Links 23 connect the upper ends of these arms with said catch members, these links being so -designed and located relative to the other parts of the mechanism that with the raising and lowering of the catch members throughout their predetermined arc of movement, said members .will remain properl engaged with the stops 12. When the lin s 23 are pulled forwardly said catch members will be turned about their pivotal connections with the arms 14 and will be swung forwardly so that the notches 16 clear the stops 12. This movement is imparted to the links at will by a lever 24 .fixed on and projecting forwardly from the shaft 21, a forwardly extending pull rope 25 being connected to the upper end of the lever. Pivoted onto the lever 24 intermediate its ends is a rod 26- which extends forwardly and slides through a bracket 27 mounted on the frame. Mounted on the rod is a compression spring 28 acting toforce the lever rearwardly and hence turn the shaft 21 in a direction'such as will force the links and catch members rearwardly also. The extent to which the spring may thus act is limited byadjustable stop members 29 on the rod ahead of the bracket.

One stop member 12 is set so that when the catch members are lowered the bowl will be turned forwardly, so that the scraping edge will properly engage the ground, as shown in Fig. 1. The depth to which thisedge will scrape can of course be easily adjusted by the necessary slight movement of the lever 19. The angle of tilt of the bowl had with any certain position of the lever will be governed by the initial settingof, the stop on the. bowl in any of the holes 9 provided for the purpose. The other stop 12 is positioned so that after the bowl has been released and permitted to rotate a certain distance the engagement of such other stop with the catch will cause the bowl to be held with the blade in a level position.

a In operation the lever 19 is set so that the bowl will be held at the desired scraping angle until loaded. If it is desired 'to immediately dump the load the rope 25 is pulled without disturbing the lever 19 andheld until the bowl has almost made a comdown beyond the notches, the lower edges of thelatter project furtherto the rear than do the upper edges, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. If it is desired to cause the bowl to .turn to a leveling position the rope 25 released in time to cause the catch notches to engage the uppermost stop rollers. If'it is desired to transport the load before dumping /the lever 19 is manipulated so as to raise the catch members 15 and hence the bowl, so

that the scraping blade will be clear of the ground, as shown in Fig. 2. Dumping of the bowl may be then effected bypulling the rope 25, the dirt supporting surface of the bowl being so located relative to the trunnions that the "weight of the loadtends to tilt the bowl forwardly even when it is raised clear of the ground. The bowl then completely-rotated will be again held, at the raised position, so that the scraper may be transported back to the scraping areabe fore it is necessary to again manipulate the lever 19.

If desired in order to brace the bowl a longitudinal and centrally disposed partition 30 may be mounted therein, with brace bars 31 extending from the back of the bowl at said partition to the side plates 4.

Y The hand control mechanism above described is adequate for ordinary sized bowls, and in this type the wheels may be removed if desired withoutaifecting the operation of the control mechanism. For large size bowls I 21. This shaft carries a worm wheel 34 engaged by a Worm 35 fixed on a longitudinal shaft 36. This shaft has a pair of opposed bevel gears 37 turnably mounted thereon whichengage a-bevel gear 38 disposed therebetween. A double clutch element 39 is slidably keyed on the shaft 36' between the gears 37 to alternately engage cooperating clutch elements 40 formed on the adjacent faces of said gears, so that either gear may be placed in driving relation with the shaft 36. The gear 38 is mounted on a transverse shaft 41 journaled on the frame 1 ahead of the shaft 21. Said shaft 41 has a sprocket wheel 42 .on its outer end alined with a similar sprocket wheel 43 mounted in connection with one of the wheels 7, an endless chain 44 passing about said sprockets.

The clutch element 39 is shifted by means of a hand lever 45 mounted on the framework and provided with a catch mechanism 46 to hold the lever normally in a neutral position. It will therefore be seen that while the shaft 41 constantly rotates with the rotation of the wheel the shaft 36 will be nor-' 15 will therefore be held at a predetermined position, since the mechanism between said members and the shaft 33 cannot move, as

the worm and wheel structure prevents rotation of the, shaft 33, unless the worm is driven. Upon shifting the lever 45 in one direction or the other, one or the other of the gears 37 will be drivin 1y engaged with the shaft 36, and the sha t 33 will be rotated in one direction or the other to effect raising or lowering of the members 15.

It will be noted that with this power actuated means the movement of the members 15 is the same as had in connection with the hand operated means, and said members ,are released by means of the hand lever 24 in the same manner as with the hand control type.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detailmay be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim-as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. A scraper including a frame, a bowl structure, wheels, trunnions journaled on the frame and serving as supports for the bowl and axial shafts for the wheels, and side plates formed as part of the bowl structure; the plates being relatively thin and the periphery thereof above the plane of the bottom of the bowl being concentric witlr and of greater radius than the wheels to an extent sufficient to cause said plates to have frictional engagement with the ground while.

maintaining the load supported by the wheels.

2. A scraper including a frame, a bowl pivotally mounted in connection therewith,

lateral stops projecting from the bowl, sub

stantially vertical members having horizon tal notches cut in from one edge to receive the stops therein, a transverse shaft mounted on the frame, arms fixed on the shaft, substantially at'right angles to said members, the latter being pivoted onto the outer ends of said arms; means for rotating the shaft, and independent means for turning the catch members about their pivots and away from the stops.

3. A structure as in claim 2, with yieldable means resisting such movement of the catch members and normally acting to maintainthem in engagement with the stops.

4. A scraper including a frame, a bowl pivotally mounted in connection therewith, lateral stops projecting from the bowl, substantially vertical members having horizontal notches cut in from one edge to'receive the stops therein, a transverse shaft mounted on the frame, arms fixed onthe shaft3the latterbeing pivoted onto the outer. ends of i said arms; means for rotating the shaft, and independent means for turning the catch members about their pivots and away from the stops, arranged to function without interfering with the operation of said shaft rotating means and irrespective of the position of said catch members.

5. A scraper including a frame, a bowl pivotally mounted in connection therewith,

lateral stops projecting from the'bowl, substantially vertical members having horizontal notches cut in from one edge to receive the stops therein, a transverse shaft mounted on the frame, arms fixed on the shaft, the latter being pivoted onto the outer ends of said arms; means for rotating-the 'zontal notches cut in from one edge to receive the stops therein, a transverse shaft mounted on the frame, arms fixed on the shaft, the latter being pivoted onto the outer ends of said arms; means for rotating the shaft, another transverse shaft, arms projecting upwardly therefrom, links between said arms and catch members, and means for turning said last named shaft.

7. A scraper including a frame, abowl pivotally mounted in connection therewith, lateral stops projecting from the bowl, substantially vertical members having horizon-.

tal notches cut in from one edge to receive the stops therein, a transverse shaft mounted on the frame, arms fixed on the shaft, the latter being pivoted onto the outer ends of said arms; means for rotating the shaft, another transverse shaft, arms projecting upwardly therefrom, links between said arms and catch'members, a hand lever ap- I plied to said last named shaft, and spring means acting to turn the shaft in a direction to cause the catch members, through the medium of the links and arms, to remain normally engaged with the stops.

8. Ina scraper, a'bowl, a plate secured to the bowl in spaced relation outwardly of one side thereof and following the contour of the periphery of the bowl, said plate and side of the bowlbeing provided with spaced holes along the length of the plate; stops between the sideand plate, means engageable with the holes for mounting the stops in place, and catch members projectable between said side and the plate for engagement with the stops.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

COLLIS P. RENAUD. 

